Toilets and inspiration

It's been a good week.

I've been on an energizing retreat with some incredible women who've touched my heart, I’ve celebrated my birthday (#geminisrule!) and escaped for a couple of days to the mountains to enjoy the breathtaking scenery of the Rockies.

So I was going to write this week about travel and maybe share a few photos of the mountains.

But instead, I'm going to write about toilets!

Or rather, toilet signs.

Yes, it is an odd subject to write about... But then again, we have no more control over what inspires us than we do over who we fall in love with.

And today, I was inspired by a toilet sign - this one, to be precise.

It was in a restaurant in Jasper, and it made me laugh out loud.

Actually, I have a collection of photos of toilet signs on my phone. Not the run-of-the-mill stick figures that you see in most places, of course.

What catches my eye are the ones that are a little bit different.

Whoever had the task to put them up could have simply gone to the hardware store and bought the same bog-standard, mundane signs that everyone else has on their bathroom doors. After all, it's just a 5-minute job and probably not a very important one at that.

But instead, they made a special effort to give some thought and creativity to this most ordinary task, just to put a little bit of humour and fun into the lives of everyone who saw it.

The truth is, it's the little things that matter.

I've never understood people who spend their lives counting down from one big event to the next, always waiting for something significant, just planning for a final destination.

Because when you do that, you miss the whole journey.

You miss the daily joys of life. The shapes in the clouds. The smell of the flowers by the side of the path. The soft breeze that tickles the back of your neck. The aroma of coffee brewing as it fills your house. The songs of the birds and the wind in the sky.

These things might not be life-changing, but rather they ARE life.

I, however, have always been one for small things.

I'm not a fan of birthdays because I believe every day should be a celebration that you're alive. Few things give me more pleasure than the smell of approaching rain or climbing into bed with fresh sheets. Life is good if I have sand between my toes and salt in my hair. And I can't think of anything more thrilling than laughing so hard that your sides hurt, especially if it’s with someone you love.

I always take the long road and stop along the way to observe the bewitching beauty of complete strangers just going about their lives.

Every day, no matter how busy I am or how many worries are weighing my shoulders down, I make a conscious effort to see the magnificence in the ordinary, the joy in daily life.

So whenever I see a toilet sign that someone spent the time to make beautiful, funny, or outrageous, I smile and know I'm not the only one who sees the beauty in the small things.

And then I go and wash my hands!

Sending you peace and love.

Paula

P.S. And don’t ever doubt it- you ARE the unicorn. And you belong right here where you are.